Tripura militants have camps in Bangladesh: Tripura CM

Terrorist outfits of Tripura have camps in Bangladesh, though they have no hideout in the state currently, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said

Agartala: Terrorist outfits of Tripura have camps in Bangladesh, though they have no hideout in the state currently, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said.

"Militant outfits have no camps or hideouts in Tripura. However, the terrorists of the state have camps in adjoining Bangladesh," he told the Tripura assembly on Monday.

Sarkar, who holds the home portfolio, said during the past two years (2013 and 2014), 12 extremist-related incidents had occurred in the state in which four people were killed, two injured and 18 people abducted. Of the 18 kidnapped people, 16 were released by the rebels.

"There is no militancy related incident so far this year. A significant number of militants have surrendered to the government in the recent past," he added.

India is erecting a fence and putting up flood lighting along the 4,096-km India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram to check trans-border movement of militants and check border crimes.

"Of the 856-km India-Bangladesh border with Tripura, fencing could not be completed in a little over 115 km border due to numerous reasons, including objection raised by Bangladeshi border guards," Sarkar added.

Members of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) have taken shelter and arms training in clandestine camps in various parts of Bangladesh.

Both outfits, banned in 1997 by the union home ministry, have been demanding secession of Tripura from India. But as most ATTF cadres have surrendered, the group is almost non-existent now.

Tripura and union home ministry officials held two rounds of discussions recently with the NLFT after the rebel group expressed its willingness to hold peace talks with the government.